Customer-oriented businesses operate in a wide range of industries, including retail sales, banking, and personal services. In order to maintain a relationship with their customers, these businesses often maintain services that allow the customers to interact with a representative of the business. In the past, a business would typically provide a “customer service” telephone number that the customer could call to speak with a representative. With the advent of online communications, businesses have begun providing online “chat” interfaces, accessed by the customer through a smartphone and/or a website, that allow the customer to communicate with a representative by text messages. Businesses have utilized both telephone calls and online messaging to accommodate their customers' preferences.